Method and apparatus for automatic locations-specific configuration management of a removable meter unit

ABSTRACT

A meter apparatus and method of operating a removable meter apparatus are described. The meter apparatus includes a tag associated with unique tag identification information and configured to be permanently affixed to a location housing at a unique physical location, and includes a removable meter unit configured to mate with the location housing and receive the tag identification from the tag and report the tag identification to a data manager configured to associate an identifier of the removable meter unit with the tag identification and unique physical location, and associate configuration information for the physical location with the removable meter unit and the tag identification. The unique physical location can comprise a single-space parking location.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/355,740, filed Jan. 16, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/022,208 filed Jan. 18, 2008entitled “A PARKING METER” and claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/022,213 filed Jan. 18, 2008 entitled “THE OPERATIONOF PARKING METERS,” each of which are incorporated herein by referencein their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

Field of the Invention

The invention relates generally to electronic communications forreporting, and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, tolocation-specific transaction reporting for vehicle parking.

Description of the Related Art

A “meter” can be any of various devices configured to measure time,distance, speed, or intensity, or to indicate, record, and/or regulatean amount or volume, such as, for example, the flow of a gas or anelectric current. As technology has advanced, meters have also becomemore advanced. Meters that measure the passage of time, e.g., parkingmeters, typically include timer mechanisms similar to those ofmechanical watches. Since these timer mechanisms had limited life spans,the parking meters were constructed with a fixed housing that wasconfigured to receive a replaceable meter unit including the meter timermechanism. When the timer mechanism wore out, the meter unit could bereplaced. Other types of meters that can have replaceable meter unitsinclude water meters and gas meters that measure the flow of material,such as water or gas, respectively.

Many mechanical meters have been replaced by digital-based meters.Digital meter units can have longer life spans than their mechanicalpredecessors, but they still are replaced when they malfunction, aredamaged, or even when the technology changes.

With advances in communications, e.g., wireless telecommunications, itis possible to monitor many meters remotely. For example, a group ofmeters can report information to a central data manager using wirelesscommunications. The information reported can be related to financialtransactions such as credit card information or periodic measures suchas the amount of gas or water consumed. Meters that communicate localinformation are often associated with a specific geographic location.For example, a meter might be associated with locations such as aparking spot, a house, a ticket booth, a cash register, a vendingmachine, and so forth. The central data manager can maintain a databasethat associates each meter with corresponding meter information such astransactions or consumption measures.

The central data manager that receives reporting information from alocal meter needs to know what meter is associated with the receivedreporting information. The reporting information can be associated withthe proper meter by determining an identifier of the meter, such as ameter unit serial number or ID. When a meter unit is replaced, thecentral data manager needs to update its reporting information for theold meter with the unit ID of the new meter unit. Replacement of meterunits is a relatively regular occurrence, as meter units fail or requireperiodic maintenance or become damaged.

Updating of meter information in the database upon meter unitreplacement has typically been performed manually by entering the newmeter unit ID into the database of the central data manager and manuallyassociating the new meter unit ID with the reporting information anddisassociating the old meter unit ID with the reporting information. Inaddition, during operation a meter unit may need to be configured withvarious operational parameters that determine rates and parking rulesfor the meter location. This operational configuring has also typicallybeen performed manually, often on the meter unit itself. Manual dataentry and configuring of the meter reduces efficiency by increasing thetime to update and reduces reliability by potentially increasing thenumber of errors in the central data manager database and in theconfiguration information of the meter.

From the discussion above, it should be apparent that there is a needfor more efficient and reliable updating of location-specific meterinformation to a data manager. The present invention satisfies thisneed.

SUMMARY

A meter apparatus includes a tag associated with unique tagidentification information and configured to be permanently affixed to alocation housing at a physical location, and a removable meter unitconfigured to mate to the location housing and receive the tagidentification from the tag and report the tag identification to a datamanager that is configured to associate an identifier of the removablemeter unit with the reported tag identification and unique physicallocation and to associate configuration information for the physicallocation with the removable meter unit and the reported tagidentification. In this way, meter information at a specific locationcan be automatically updated and reported to a data manager withincreased efficiency and reliability.

The meter apparatus can include a memory module to store informationregarding a transaction history. The tag is configured to provide itsunique identification information to the removable meter unit, andthereby provide its unique physical location as well. The memory modulecan be configured to store information indicative of a transactionhistory for the meter apparatus, including a payment collection history.The memory module can be incorporated with the tag. A removable meterunit that is mated with the housing can receive the identificationinformation from the tag. With the tag identification information, themeter unit can determine its physical location and configurationinformation, including operating parameters and transaction history forthe physical location. Such parameters and information can be determinedby the meter unit directly from the tag or from a data manager uponproviding the tag identification information.

Another meter apparatus includes a removable meter unit that receives atag identification associated with a unique physical location andreports the tag identification to a data manager such that the datamanager associates an identifier of the removable meter unit with thephysical location and the tag identification, and associates operatingparameters for the physical location with the removable meter unit andthe tag identification. The tag identification is received from a tagassociated with the physical location, where the tag is permanentlyattached to a location housing that is fixedly placed at the physicallocation and that is configured to mate with the removable meter unit.

A method of operating a meter includes receiving a tag identificationassociated with a unique physical location at which a removable meterunit is placed, determining configuration information associated withthe tag identification and the physical location, and associating thedetermined configuration information with the removable meter unit. Thetag identification is received from a tag associated with the physicallocation, and wherein the tag is permanently attached to a locationhousing that is fixedly placed at the physical location and the locationhousing is configured to mate with the removable meter unit.

In other aspects, the tag is configured to receive informationindicative of removal of a cash collection box containing currencyreceived at the removable meter unit. Upon receiving the informationindicative of the removal of the cash collection box, the tag can beconfigured to initiate storing transaction information in the memorymodule. The transaction information can include data indicating theamount of currency collected at the removable meter unit based on thestored payment collection history. In addition, the tag can be furtherconfigured to reset the transaction history stored in the memory modulein response to receiving the information indicative of the removal ofthe cash collection box.

In yet another embodiment, a parking meter includes a meter unit; a cashcollection box; and a tag device for monitoring the content of the cashcollection box. The tag device may have a unique tag identifier, whichis associated with the parking meter. The tag identifier may beassociated with a unique location of the parking meter, such that thecash collected at each unique location may be monitored during use,irrespective of the particular meter unit or cash collection box used,from time-to-time at each unique location.

The tag device may have a memory module in which the value of coins inthe cash collection box of the parking meter in question is recordedduring use. The memory module may be of the non-volatile type and thevalue may be externally readable. The value may also be resetexternally. Conveniently the memory module may record a total valuecollected and an interim value.

In another aspect, the parking meter may have a housing, with the tagdevice being secured thereto or therein. The meter unit may communicatewith the tag device, to receive tag device information and to recordtherein the number and/or value of coins received by the meter unit.This may be effected by means of a wired, radio, or optical link betweenthe meter unit and tag device. The tag device may comprise a smallmicroprocessor with nonvolatile flash memory, such as a wired memorydevice, or can comprise an RFID tag or the like.

As described further herein, cash collected at each meter location maybe monitored and recorded, otherwise than by the meter unit, such that adefective meter unit may be removed and replaced with another, withoutreplacing the cash collection box and without affecting monitoring ofthe cash collected at that location.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It shouldbe understood that the detailed description and specific examples, whileindicating various embodiments, are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to necessarily limit the scope ofthe disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is described, by way of non-limiting examples, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate embodiments of single-space parking metersconstructed in accordance with the invention.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show schematically a removable meter unit and anauxiliary device as used in the parking meter of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

FIG. 3 shows schematically an embodiment of a parking meter system thatmonitors a number of the parking meters such as those of FIG. 1A and/orFIG. 1B.

FIG. 4 shows schematically an example of a local group of parking metersthat can be monitored by the parking meter system of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 shows schematically another example of a local group of parkingmeters that can be monitored by the parking meter system of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of a process for operating parking meters suchas the parking meters of FIGS. 1A and/or 1B in the system of FIG. 3.

In the appended figures, similar components and/or features may have thesame reference label. Further, various components of the same type maybe distinguished by following the reference label (e.g. “18”) by a dashand a second label that distinguishes among the similar components (e.g.“18-1” and “18-2”). If only the first reference label is used in thespecification, the description is applicable to any one of the similarcomponents having the same first reference label irrespective of thesecond reference label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In one embodiment of a meter apparatus as described herein, the meterapparatus includes a housing that is fixedly placed at a unique physicallocation and is configured to permanently receive a tag. The tag isassociated with the unique physical location. The location housing isconfigured to mate with a removable meter unit. The meter apparatusincludes a memory module to store information regarding a transactionhistory for the physical location. The tag is configured to provide itsunique identification information to the removable meter unit, andthereby provide the meter unit with its unique physical location aswell. The memory module can be configured to store informationindicative of a transaction history for the meter apparatus. A meterunit that is mated with the housing can receive the identificationinformation from the tag. With the tag identification information, themeter unit can determine its physical location and configurationinformation, including operating parameters and transaction history forthe physical location. During operation, the meter unit can continue toreceive updated operating parameters and, if desired, can report itsconfiguration information such as operational status in accordance withits tag identification information.

In another embodiment, the meter apparatus comprises a parking meterassociated with a unique parking location, and a method of operating aparking meter includes transmitting radio signals to, and receivingradio signals from, a data manager.

The parking meter may be a single-space parking meter, comprising aparking meter that is associated with a single parking space thataccommodates one vehicle.

A transceiver of the parking meter may be constructed from conventionalequipment, which typically has a maximum range of up to 150 meters, butshould preferably be capable of operation at less than 80 meters. Thetransceiver may communicate with a data manager that maintains adatabase with parking meter information stored according to the tagidentification information.

It will thus be appreciated that one construction of a parking systemmay comprise a predetermined number of single-space parking meters that,together with an associated local data manager, form a local group, andthe local data manager can communicate with a central data manager.

Yet another embodiment provides a vehicle parking control system thatincludes a number of parking meters in accordance with the inventionthat are grouped together; an associated local data manager which has acomplementary transceiver for receiving radio transmissions from thegrouped parking meters and a transmitter for transmitting signals to thegrouped parking meters and a communication facility for communicatingwith a central data manager, the grouped parking meters and theassociated local hub manager forming a local group.

The system may thus include a number of local groups and a central datamanager.

It will be appreciated that the local data manager will typically belocated no more than about 150 meters and preferably not more than about80 meters from any of its associated group of parking meters.

The transceivers may operate in the 2.4 GHz frequency band and may havea power of between 1.0 mW and 6.0 mW.

The communication facility of the local data manager may communicatewith the central data manager by means of a data channel, which may usea variety of networks, such as a cellular telephone network, a wirelessLAN, a wired LAN, a mesh network or the Internet.

Communications between the parking meters and the central data managermay be in regard to payment authorization, status reports, faultreporting and/or configuration and software updates.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the local datamanagers may concentrate data received from their parking meters beforecommunicating with the central data manger; synchronized time divisionmultiplexing may be used to keep active transmit and receive timesshort; data may be encrypted; and messages may be acknowledged toimprove reliable delivery.

Each group of parking meters and its associated local data manager maybe in the form of a mesh radio network, such that certain parking metersmay act as relays for other parking meters that don't have directcommunication with the local data manager

Referring to FIG. 1A, an embodiment of a meter apparatus for a singleparking space is designated generally by reference numeral 10-1. Thatis, the meter apparatus 10-1 comprises a single-space parking meter. Theparking meter 10-1 includes a location housing 12, a cash collection box14, a meter unit 16, and an auxiliary device 18-1 in the form of a tag.The location housing 12 is fixedly attached to a pole 20 that is inrelatively close proximity to the parking space (not illustrated in FIG.1A), so that the meter 10-1 is readily associated and identified withthe parking space. The cash collection box 14, the meter unit 16, andthe tag 18-1 are received in the location housing 12.

The tag 18-1 is attached to an inner surface of the housing 12, whereasthe cash collection box 14 and meter unit 16 are removable andreplaceable. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, the tag 18-1 isconnectable to the meter unit 16 by means of a length of wire 22 and aplug-in connector 24, and can be powered by the meter unit 16 (e.g., bya battery, solar cell, or other power source associated with the meterunit 16). The tag device 18-1 may comprise a small microprocessor withnonvolatile flash memory, such as the 1-wire memory device productcalled “DS2433” of Dallas Semiconductor from Maxim Integrated Products,Inc. of Sunnyvale, Calif., USA.

Referring to FIG. 1B, another embodiment of a single-space parking meteris designated generally by reference numeral 10-2. The parking meter10-2 is similar to the parking meter 10-1 of FIG. 1A except that theFIG. 1B parking meter 10-2 includes a wireless tag 18-2 and the meterunit 16-2 includes a wireless transceiver 25. The wireless tag and themeter unit are capable of communication with each other over a wirelesscommunication channel. The wireless tag 18-2 can be, for example, anRFID tag, a smart card that is powered by the wireless transceiver 25,or an ID token, or the like. The wireless transceiver 25 receivesinformation from the tag 18-2 and, for example, can be a radiotransceiver that uses WiFi, Bluetooth, WiMax, or other short-rangewireless radio technology, in accordance with the wireless communicationchannel used by the tag.

In some embodiments, such as, for example, where the tag 18-2 is an RFIDand/or a smart card, the wireless tag 18-2 is powered by the signaltransmitted by the transceiver 25. In other embodiments, the wirelesstag 18-2 can be powered by a battery. Because the distance from thewireless transceiver 25 to the tag 18-2 is relatively small, the powerconsumed by the wireless transceiver 25 and/or the tag 18-2 can be verylow, such that a relatively small capacity battery that is compactprovides sufficient power.

The wireless transceiver 25 of the parking meter 10-2 could be anInfrared (IR) transceiver. In that case, the transceiver 25 is alignedwith the tag 18-2 such that the infrared beam of the transceiver isproperly targeted at the tag 18-2.

In one embodiment, the wired tag 18-1 or the wireless tag 18-2 is usedto monitor the content of the cash collection box 14, as will beexplained below. Also as explained below, each tag 18 has a uniqueidentifier that identifies the parking meter 10 with which it is usedand which is associated with a unique physical location where theparking meter is fixedly located, e.g., the location of the pole 20 andthe location housing 12.

In many situations, the parking location associated with the meter 10 isa public parking space administered by a municipal government, and thecash collection box 14 and the meter unit 16 are typically serviced byindependent entities. For example, the meter unit 16 can be removed andreplaced, e.g., due to upgrades, defective equipment and the like, by aprovider that is contracted by the municipality to keep the parkingmeters 10 functioning properly. On the other hand, removal of the cashcollection box 14 and emptying the currency within it are typicallyperformed by a municipal employee. The removal and replacement of thecash collection box 14 independently of the meter unit 16 can makemonitoring of both the cash collection box 14 and the removable meterunit 16 difficult.

Some embodiments of the tag units 18 and the removable meter units 16,when used with the systems and methods discussed below, can enablerobust and accurate monitoring of currency collected at a specificlocation even if meter unit 16 removal and cash collection box 14removal and emptying operations are independently performed. Otherembodiments can enable automated updating of configuration informationsuch as operating parameters when the removable meter unit is replacedand/or when configuration information for the specific location areupdated. For example, upon replacement of an old meter unit in a meterhousing, a new meter unit can automatically receive tag identificationinformation from a tag of the meter housing and can contact a datamanager to report its new location (i.e., its associated tag ID) and toreceive configuration information that includes operating parameters.Similarly, removal and/or emptying of a meter cash box can automaticallyinitiate contact from the meter unit to a data manager to report its tagID and the cash box activity, as well as receive configurationinformation. This feature is described further below. Some embodimentsof the tag units 18 and the removable meter units 16 can be configuredto receive configuration information such as operating parameters ondemand from the data manager. The operating parameters can include anysettings that effect the operation of the removable meter unit,including data such as a parking rate, a geographic location, parkingrules for operation, an amount of currency in a cash box, and times whenparking rates or rules apply, and the like.

In FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, the location housing 12 is configured topermanently receive the tag 18. The location housing 12 being configuredto permanently receive the tag 18 means that the tag is affixed to thelocation housing such that the tag cannot be removed without leavingclear physical evidence of its removal from the location housing 12,and/or such that removal makes the tag 18 inoperable. The tag 18 can bepermanently affixed with an adhesive glue, double sided tape, singlesided tape, soldering, and similar techniques that will be known tothose skilled in the art.

The embodiment of the location housing 12 in FIGS. 1A and 1B is aclam-shell type of housing that is affixed to the pole 20 and isconfigured to mate with a removable meter unit 18. In other embodiments,however, the location housing 12 can be a cabinet or other enclosedspace that is configured to mate with one or more removable meter units,where the removable meter units are configured to be mated incompartments of the cabinet, and each of the compartments is associatedwith a physical location that is not necessarily at the same location asthe cabinet or the compartment. In other embodiments, the locationhousing can be another type of receptacle fixedly placed and associatedwith a physical location.

Referring to FIG. 2A, functional block diagrams of examples of anexemplary removable meter unit 16-1 and a tag 18-3 are shown. The meterunit 16-1 includes a user interface 26-1 through which payment can bereceived. The meter unit 16-1 also includes electronic componentsincluding a processor module 28-1 and a short range interface 30 bymeans of which the meter unit communicates with the tag 18-3. The tag18-3 has a short range interface 32, an ID module 34, and a memorymodule 36 for storing information regarding configuration informationincluding a payment collection history and/or operating parameters andmeter settings. The meter unit 16-1 is linked to the tag 18-3 by acommunications link 37. In the case where the tag 18-3 is a wired tag18-1, the link 37 comprises a wire connecting the two, such as the wire22 illustrated in FIG. 1A. In the case where the tag 18-3 is a wirelesstag 18-2, the link 37 can comprise a radio link or an optical link. Inthe case of a wireless tag 18-2, the short range interfaces 30 and 32between the meter unit and tag, respectively, can comprise RFID devices,Bluetooth devices, WiFi devices, IR devices, smart card devices, and thelike.

The processor module 28-1 includes one or more processors such asapplication specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signalprocessors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors,other electronic units designed to perform the functions describedherein, and/or a combination thereof. The processor module 28-1 alsoincludes one or more storage mediums. A storage medium can include oneor more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic diskstorage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/orother machine readable mediums for storing information.

The user interface 26-1 provides a means for a user to interact with themeter unit 16-1 and can include, for example, a display and keypad. Theuser interface 26-1 can provide a payment interface including a currencyreceiver for receiving coins and or bills in payment for using theparking location. The processor module 28-1 obtains payment informationfrom the payment interface that provides transaction informationregarding the amount of a payment received at the payment interface26-1. The processor module 28-1 communicates the transactioninformation, via the link 37, to the short range interface 32 of the tag18-3. The short range interface 32 then updates the memory module 36based on the received transaction information. The memory module 36 canadd the amount of currency indicated to have been received by thetransaction information to the stored amount. In addition, the memorymodule 36 can also receive and store transaction-time informationincluding the date and time of day that the payment was received. Inthis way, when coins or bills are inserted into the meter unit 16-1 andare collected in the cash collection box 14, the value of the coinsand/or bills is determined by the meter unit 16-1 and the value storedin the memory module 36 of the tag 18-3 is appropriately updated. Thus,the tag 18-3 records the value of cash collected in the cash collectionbox 14 and stores the value in the memory module 36. The memory module36 can also store configuration information indicative of otheroperating parameters such as parking rate, geographic location, parkingrules, an amount of currency in a cash box, and times when differentparking rates or rules apply.

The ID module 34 stores a unique identifier, e.g., a tag identificationor serial number, that is associated with the tag 18-3. Preferably, theunique identifier of the tag 18-3 and the value stored in the memorymodule 36 are externally readable, e.g., by a suitable reader (notshown) via the interface 32. For example, if the short range interface32 is an RFID module, then the reader could be an RFID reader. Othertypes of readers that can be used depend on the embodiment, but caninclude IR readers, smart card readers (contact or non-contact), plug inreaders, and the like. In this way, periodic downloading of the valuestored in the memory module 36 can be performed with an appropriatereader to monitor the amount of cash that should be contained in thecash collection box. This downloaded cash value can then be used todetect a theft of cash, if the expected downloaded cash value does notmatch the collected amount of cash.

In one embodiment, the transaction information stored in the memorymodule 36 can be reset to zero when the cash collection box 14 isemptied or replaced. As noted above, the cash collection box 14 andmeter unit 16 may be independently serviced. That is, they can beindependently removed and replaced from the meter 10. In one aspect ofthis embodiment, the removable meter unit 16 automatically detects whenthe cash collection box 14 is removed. This can be accomplished using asensor such as a motion sensor, an IR sensor, a magnetic field sensor,or the like.

In the case of a wireless tag such as illustrated in FIG. 2A, reset tozero occurs when the removable meter unit 16-1 detects that the cashcollection box 14 is removed, in which case the short range interface 30of the removable meter unit 16-1 communicates a signal to the shortrange interface 32 of the tag 18-3. In response to the signal indicatingremoval of the cash collection box 14, the short range interface 32 ofthe tag 18-3 resets the payment collection history stored in the memorymodule 36 to indicate no collection history (i.e., reset to zero) and,preferably, stores the total amount of currency collected since the lastcash collection box removal in the memory 36. In another aspect of thisembodiment, the tag 18-3 is configured to detect the removal of the cashstorage box 14 and autonomously reset the payment history and store thetotal amount of currency collected into the memory 36.

In another embodiment, when the cash collection box 14 is removed, anelectrical circuit between the cash collection box 14 and the tag 18-3is broken, thereby allowing the tag 18-3 to detect the removal of thecash collection box 14. In yet another embodiment, the person removingthe cash collection box is required to perform an action that providesan external signal, e.g., insert a key, a magnetic stripe card, token,or smart card into the removable meter unit, thereby providing a signalthat alerts the removable meter unit that the cash collection box isbeing removed.

Referring to FIG. 2B, functional block diagrams of other embodiments ofa meter unit 16-2 and a tag 18-4 are shown. In the embodiments shown inFIG. 2B, the meter unit 16-2 includes a user interface 26-2, a processormodule 28-2, the short range interface 30, and a network transceiver 31.The short range interface 30 can be the same as that in the removablemeter unit 16-1 of FIG. 2A. That is, the short range interface 30 ofFIG. 2B is the means by which the meter unit 16-2 communicates with thetag 18-4. The network transceiver 31 can be configured to communicate toand from wired or wireless networks. Wired networks include LANs, WANs,MANs, the Internet, intranets, and the like. Wireless networks includecellular telephone networks, WiFi networks, WiMax networks, and thelike. Cellular telephone networks can be any of various technologiessuch as CDMA, GSM, TDMA, or the like.

The user interface 26-2 includes similar components as the userinterface 26-1 of the removable meter unit 16-1 shown in FIG. 2A. Inaddition, the user interface 26-2 preferably includes a credit/debitcard reader. The credit/debit card reader allows for the use of magneticstripe cards and/or smart cards, tokens, and the like to be used forpayment of the parking fees instead of, or in addition to, currencypayments such as coins and or bills. The credit card transactioninformation and authorization is communicated via the networktransceiver 31 to a remote transaction authorization facility, perconventional practice known to those skilled in the art.

The processor module 28-2 of the removable meter unit 16-2 shown in FIG.2B is similar to the processor module 28-1 of the removable meter unit16-1, but is coupled to the network transceiver 31 in order tocommunicate payment information to a remote data manager. The datamanager is not illustrated in FIG. 2B; details of the data manager andthe data communicated with the data manger are discussed further below.

Because the removable meter unit 16-2 of FIG. 2B is capable ofcommunicating payment information to the remote data manager via thenetwork transceiver 31, the tag 18-4 does not include a memory module 36as in the tag 18-3 shown in FIG. 2A. When currency and/or a credit/debitcard payment are received at the removable meter unit 16-2, the paymentinformation is communicated to the remote data manager. In order for theremote data manager to be able to know at which location the payment isbeing received, the tag ID information stored in the ID module 34 iscommunicated to the remote data manager. That is, rather than storeconfiguration information, including transaction information such aspayment history, with the memory module of the tag, the FIG. 2Bembodiment maintains such information at the data manager. Details ofmethods used to communicate between the data manager and the removablemeter unit are discussed below in connection with FIG. 3.

When the removable meter unit 16-2 of FIG. 2B is first installed in thelocation housing 12 that contains the tag 18-4, the short rangeinterface 30 of the removable meter unit 16-2 communicates with theshort range interface 32 of the tag 18-4 and reads/receives the tag IDthat is stored in the ID module 34. The tag ID and a removable meterunit ID are then communicated via the network transceiver 31 to theremote data manager. The remote data manager is coupled to a databasecontaining unique physical locations and the tag IDs that are associatedwith the unique locations. The remote data manager then associates theID of the removable meter unit 16-2 with the tag ID and with the uniquephysical location. In addition, any previous payment collection historythat was associated with the tag ID and unique physical location isassociated with the newly installed removable meter unit 16-2 anddisassociated with the previous removable meter unit ID.

In addition to associating the payment collection history uponinstallation of a new removable meter unit, the remote data manager canalso associate other configuration information such as operatingparameters affecting the configuration of the meter. These operatingparameters can include parking rate, geographic location, parking rules,amount of currency in a cash box, and times when different parking ratesor rules apply. The operating parameters can be transmitted by theremote data manager to the removable meter unit thereby automaticallyupdating the operating parameters of the removable meter unit. Inaddition to transmitting operating parameters upon installation of a newremovable meter unit, a remote data manager can update the operatingparameters automatically when they change.

In addition to communicating payment collection information transactionhistory to the data manager, the removable meter unit 16-2 cancommunicate an indication of removal of the cash collection box 14 tothe remote data manager. In response to receiving the cash collectionbox removal indication, the remote data manager can reset the paymentcollection history in the database and record the amount of cash thatwas collected up to the removal event. In this way, the remote datamanager can keep track of how much currency should have been collectedand returned by the individual removing the cash collection box 14.

In one embodiment, the tag 18-4 includes a memory module 36 and thepayment collection information can be stored in the memory module 36 toprovide redundancy protection. In this way, if the network transceiverfails, the memory module 36 can store the payment collection historyinformation. The redundant payment collection history information can becommunicated to the data manager at a later date when the networktransceiver 31 is replaced/repaired. In addition, the memory module 36could store other configuration information such as operatingparameters, including meter settings. In this way, a new removable meterunit could retrieve the configuration information from the tag 18-4 uponinstallation.

Referring to FIG. 3, a parking meter system is designated generally byreference numeral 40. The system 40 utilizes a number of the parkingmeters 10. The parking meters 10 can be, for example, either of theparking meters 10-1 or 10-2 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, that include aremovable meter unit 16-2 with the network transceiver 31. The parkingmeters 10 are operationally arranged into groups, with each group havinga local data manager 42. That is, each group of parking meters 10 willreport data to its associated local data manager 42 and will therebyform a local group 60. In one embodiment, there are about 30 parkingmeters in each local group 60. Not all the parking meters 10 are shownin the local groups 60 illustrated in FIG. 3.

Each of the local data managers 42 communicates with a central datamanager 52. In the system 40 of FIG. 3, this is effected by means of acellular telephone network, with each local data manager 42 and thecentral data manager 52 being connected to a base station 54 of thecellular telephone network. Data links are thereby established betweenthe local data managers 42 and the central data manager 52. Althoughonly three local groups 60 are shown, there can be more or fewer localgroups 60.

Each local data manager 42 has a network data modem 44, a control device46, a memory 48 and a radio transceiver 50 with an antenna 38. Asindicated above, each local data manager 42 communicates with theparking meters 10 in its local group 60 via its transceiver 50 and thenetwork transceiver 31 of the parking meter 10. The local data managers42 may do so directly, or indirectly via another parking meter 10 asindicated with parking meters 10-3 and 10-4.

The memory 48 can include one or more memories for storing data,including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magneticRAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storagemediums, flash memory devices, and/or other machine readable media forstoring information. The memory 48 stores the configuration informationincluding payment collection history information and/or operatingparameters for the parking meters 10 in the local group 60. The paymentcollection history information stored in the memory 48 is communicatedto the central data manager 52 via the modem 44, the base station 54 andany intervening networks such as, for example, the Internet.

The control device 46 comprises one or more processors coupled to thememory 48 and configured to control the functions associated with theradio transceiver 50 and the modem 44. The processor 50 can include oneor more of application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digitalsignal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs),programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays(FPGAs), processors, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors,other electronic units designed to perform the functions describedherein, and/or a combination thereof.

Alternatively to communicating with a local data manager 42, otherembodiments can provide the parking meter 10 with a network interface 31that communicates with the central data manager 52. In theseembodiments, the network interface 31 can comprise a cellular telephonetransceiver, a MAN transceiver, a satellite transceiver, or other typeof transceiver that communicates over a network to the central datamanager 52.

The central data manager 52 has a controller 56 with a modem and adatabase store 58. It also has a communication module for communicatingwith financial institutions (not shown) to obtain authorization forcredit or debit card payments and payment. The modem of the central datamanager 52 can be any modem configured to communicate over a networksuch as the Internet. The data store 58 includes a database that storestag ID's and associates the tag IDs with the unique physical locationsand the removable meter unit IDs in order to store the operatingparameters including the payment collection histories and configurationinformation as discussed above.

To accommodate most system configurations, the transceivers 31 of theremovable meter units 16-2 and the transceivers 50 of the local datamangers 42 will have a power rating of about 1 mW and will have a rangeof about 80 meters. Thus, each local group 60 can extend over an areahaving a radius of about 80 meters.

In operation, if a person wishing to park at a parking meter wants topay by means of a credit card, the relevant information is read by acard reader and transmitted to the central data manager 52 via therelevant local data manager 42. The central data manager 52 obtainsauthorization and communicates this back to the appropriate parkingmeter 10 via the relevant local data manager 42. Further, statusreports, fault reporting and/or configuration and software updates, maybe communicated between the parking meters 10, the local data manager 42and/or the central data manager 52.

In one embodiment where the parking meter 10-3 communicates with one ormore other intermediate parking meters 10-4, and the intermediateparking meter 10-4 communicates with the local data manger 42, theparking meters 10-3 and 10-4 communicate using a mesh network protocol.Those skilled in the art will know that mesh network protocols can beprovided by several conventional communication protocols, includingBluetooth, WiFi, and 802-15 (commonly referred to as WPAN for WirelessPersonal Area Network, or ZigBee).

Referring to FIG. 4, an example of a local group 60-1 of parking meters10 that can be monitored by the parking meter system 40 of FIG. 3 isshown. The local group 60-1 includes eight parking meters 10, but othernumbers of parking meters could be included in the local group 60-1.Each parking meter 10 is fixedly located at and associated with aparking spot 70. The parking spots 70 are angled parking spots thatcould be located in a parking lot or on a street, for example.

The parking meters 10 each include a removable meter unit 16, such asthe removable meter unit 16-2 illustrated in FIG. 2B, that includes anetwork transceiver 31. The eight parking meters 10 communicate, via thenetwork transceiver 31 with the antenna 38 and the radio transceiver 50of the local data manager 42. The parking meters 10 can communicatedirectly with the local data manager 42, as illustrated by connections72, or can communicate indirectly (e.g., using a mesh network) via oneof the other parking meters 10, as illustrated by the connection 74between parking meters 10-3 and 10-4. As discussed above, the removablemeter units communicate information to the local data manager 42, theinformation including tag IDs, removable meter unit IDs, paymentcollection information including currency received and credit/debit cardinformation. The removable meter units can also receive configurationinformation such as operating parameters from the local data manager 42upon installation or when the operating parameters are updated.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the local data manager 42 uses themodem 44 to communicate with the central data manager 52 via theInternet 80. It should be understood that the “modem” refers to anydevice that provides a communication interface between the local datamanager and the network. The information communicated to the centraldata manager 52 includes tag IDs, removable meter unit IDs, and paymentcollection information including currency received and credit/debit cardinformation. The local data manager 42 can receive configurationinformation such as operating parameters from the central manger 52 andcommunicate these to the removable meter units 16.

Referring to FIG. 5, another example of a local group 60-2 of parkingmeters 10 that can be monitored by the parking meter system 40 of FIG. 3is shown. The local group 60-2 includes eight parking meters 10, butother numbers of parking meters 10 could be included in the local group60-2. Each parking meter 10 is fixedly located at and associated with aparking spot 70 (only four of the eight parking spots 70 are shown). Theparking spots 70 are parallel parking spots that can be located on astreet, for example.

The parking meters 10 each include a removable meter unit 16, such asthe removable meter unit 16-2 illustrated in FIG. 2B, that includes anetwork transceiver 31. The eight parking meters 10 communicate, via thenetwork transceiver 31 with the antenna 38 and the radio transceiver 50of the local data manager 42. The parking meters 10 can communicatedirectly with the local data manager 42, as illustrated by connections72, or indirectly (e.g., using a mesh network) via one of the otherparking meters 10, as illustrated by connection 74 between parkingmeters 10-3 and 10-4. As discussed above, the removable meter unitscommunicate information to the local data manager 42, the informationincluding tag IDs, removable meter unit IDs, payment collectioninformation including currency received and credit/debit cardinformation. The removable meter units 16 can also receive configurationinformation such as operating parameters from the local data manager 42upon installation or when the operating parameters are updated.

Referring to FIG. 6, a flowchart of an embodiment of a process 600 foroperating parking meters 10 such as the parking meters 10-1 and 10-2 ofFIGS. 1A and/or 1B in the system 40 of FIG. 3 is shown. The process 600includes operations performed by one or more of the local data manager42 and the central data manager 52. For the sake of clarity, the process600 is described as being performed by the local data manager 42, but itcould also be performed at least in part by the central data manager 52.

The process 600 starts at block 602, where the radio transceiver 50receives a tag ID that is associated in a data manager database with aunique physical location (e.g., one of the parking spots 70) at which aremovable meter unit 16 (e.g., the removable meter unit 16-1 or 16-2 ofFIG. 1A or 1B, respectively) is placed. The tag ID received at block 602can be received directly from the removable meter unit 16 that is placedat the unique physical location or, alternatively, can be received froman intermediate removable meter unit 16 and/or an intermediate datamanager (e.g., a local data manager 42) and/or the central data manager52.

As discussed above, the tag ID can be received at block 602 when aremovable meter unit 16 is installed into a location housing 12 that isfixedly located and associated with the unique location.

After the tag ID is received at block 602, processing continues at block604, where the control device 46 of the local data manager 42 determinesconfiguration information associated with the tag ID and the uniquephysical location. The configuration information can include atransaction history and/or operating parameters associated with the tagID and the unique physical location. The configuration information canbe stored in the memory 48 of the local data manager 42 or in the datastore 58 of the central data manager 52. The configuration informationis stored cross-referenced with the associated tag IDs, which arecross-referenced to the unique physical locations. In one embodiment,the stored location information comprises a hierarchical structure suchas, for example, a parking spot number, on a particular street, in apredetermined zone of a given city. In another embodiment, the locationinformation comprises GPS location information including latitude andlongitude coordinates.

Upon determining the associated configuration information, the process600 continues at block 606, where the control device 46 associates thedetermined configuration information with the removable meter unit 16.This association can be accomplished using a removable meter unit IDthat identifies the removable meter unit that is located at the uniquelocation. In one embodiment, the removable meter unit ID is receivedalong with the tag identification at the block 602.

The transaction information of payment collection history that isassociated with the removable meter unit at block 606 can be an existingpayment collection history that was previously associated with anotherremovable meter unit 16. Since the location housing 12 permanentlyreceives the tag 18, the unique physical location remains associatedwith the tag ID and only the removable meter unit ID associationchanges. Thus, the payment collection history of the unique location isassociated with the new removable meter unit ID and the paymentcollection history can be updated.

In embodiments where the configuration information includesconfiguration-related operating parameters (e.g., a parking rate,geographic location, parking rules, amount of currency in a cash box,and times when parking rates or rules apply), the process 600 continuesat block 607 where the radio transceiver 50 automatically transmitsinformation indicative of the configuration-related operating parametersto the removable meter unit 16. Such transmission can be initiated uponreplacement of the meter unit or at predetermined times or in responseto an event, or by a combination of all. That is, block 607 can beperformed when the removable meter unit 16 is first installed and/orwhenever the configuration-related operating parameters are changed. Inthis way, the removable meter unit 16 is automatically configured.

Upon associating the removable meter unit ID with the transactioninformation of payment collection history at block 606, and in someembodiments transmitting the operating parameters at the block 607, theprocess 600 continues at block 608 where the local data manager 42monitors the local group 60 to receive, via the radio transceiver 50, areport of a value of currency received at the removable meter unit 16.The report of the value of currency at each meter unit 16 received atblock 608 also includes the associated tag ID. Using the tag ID and thecross-reference database information stored in the memory 48, thecontrol device 46 can determine that the received report of the value ofcurrency received is associated with the unique physical location wherethe tag 18 and the removable meter unit 16 are located.

Upon receiving the report of the value of currency received, the process600 continues operation to block 610, where the control device 46associates the value of the received currency with the paymentcollection history and transaction information associated with thephysical location and the tag ID. The association operation at block 610can include incrementing a total value received register to reflect thenewly received value and storing the updated total value. Otherinformation that can be stored can include the date and time of day thatthe payment was received. Such time of day and date information can beused to modify pricing based on different demand levels measured atdifferent times of day and/or year.

The local data manager 610 continues to perform the functions at theblocks 602-610 until the cash collection box 14 is removed from theparking meter 10. At block 612, the radio transceiver 50 receives areport indicating the removal of the cash collection box 14 containingcurrency at the removable meter unit 16. The report received at block612 indicates the tag ID that is associated with the unique physicallocation where the cash collection box 14 was removed.

Upon receiving the indication that the cash collection box 14 wasremoved at block 612, the process 600 continues to block 614, where thecontrol device 612 determines, based on the payment collection historyassociated with the tag ID and stored in the memory 48, the amount ofcurrency that should be contained in the cash collection box at the timeof removal. This amount of currency can be used to check collectionoperations. For example, the expected amount can be used to determine ifthe person collecting the currency returns an amount that isapproximately as expected and can therefore assist in preventing ordetecting theft. Additionally, the control device 46 can zero-out orreset the payment collection history transaction information at theblock 614.

The blocks 602 through 614 of the process 600 continue to be performedby the various modules of the local data manager 42 as needed. Asdiscussed above, the process 600 can also be performed wholly or in partby the central data manager 52. It should be noted that one or more ofthe blocks of the process 600 can be rearranged, combined, or omitted.

The systems and methods discussed above involved the use of parkingmeters located and associated with specific parking spot locations. Itshould be noted that the above methods and systems are applicable toother scenarios where a measurable quantity of product or an occupiedspace or an amount of measurable time that a product is being consumedis associated with a meter at a unique physical location. Such scenariosmay include, for example, consumption of a product at a customerstation, or consumption of a resource at a production location, orwaiting time at a specific location, and the like.

Specific details are given in the above description to provide athorough understanding of the embodiments. However, it is understoodthat the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.For example, circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order not toobscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail. In other instances,well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniquesmay be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring theembodiments.

Implementation of the techniques, blocks, steps and means describedabove may be done in various ways. For example, these techniques,blocks, steps and means may be implemented in hardware, software, or acombination thereof. For a hardware implementation, the processing unitsmay be implemented within one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signalprocessing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers,micro-controllers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed toperform the functions described above, and/or a combination thereof.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a processwhich is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, astructure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describethe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can beperformed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order of theoperations may be re-arranged. A process is terminated when itsoperations are completed, but could have additional steps not includedin the figure. A process may correspond to a method, a function, aprocedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, and the like. When a processcorresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return ofthe function to the calling function or the main function.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,scripting languages, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardwaredescription languages, and/or any combination thereof. When implementedin software, firmware, middleware, scripting language, and/or microcode,the program code or code segments to perform the necessary tasks may bestored in a machine readable medium such as a storage medium. A codesegment or machine-executable instruction may represent a procedure, afunction, a subprogram, a program, a routine, a subroutine, a module, asoftware package, a script, a class, or any combination of instructions,data structures, and/or program statements. A code segment may becoupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and/orreceiving information, data, arguments, parameters, and/or memorycontents. Information, arguments, parameters, data, and the like may bepassed, forwarded, or transmitted via any suitable means includingmemory sharing, message passing, token passing, network transmission,and so forth.

For a firmware and/or software implementation, the methodologies may beimplemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) thatperform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable mediumtangibly embodying instructions may be used in implementing themethodologies described herein. For example, software codes may bestored in a memory. Memory may be implemented within the processor orexternal to the processor. As used herein the term “memory” refers toany type of long term, short term, volatile, nonvolatile, or otherstorage medium and is not to be limited to any particular type of memoryor number of memories, or type of media upon which memory is stored.

Moreover, as disclosed herein, the term “storage medium” may representone or more memories for storing data, including read only memory (ROM),random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic diskstorage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/orother machine readable mediums for storing information.

While the principles of the disclosure have been described above inconnection with specific apparatuses and methods, it is to be clearlyunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas limitation on the scope of the disclosure.

We claim:
 1. A method of operating a meter, the method comprising:receiving a tag identification information from an RFID tag, wherein thetag identification information is associated with a unique physicallocation at which a removable meter unit is placed; transmitting the tagidentification information to a remote data manager after detecting achange in proximity between the RFID tag and the removable meter unit;receiving, from the data manager, information indicative ofconfiguration information comprising one or more operating parameters;and updating the configuration information with the removable meterunit; wherein the tag is permanently affixed to a location housing thatis fixedly placed at the physical location and the location housing isconfigured to mate with the removable meter unit.
 2. The method of claim1, further comprising: receiving a report of a value of currencyreceived at the removable meter unit associated with the tagidentification information and the physical location; and associatingthe value of the received currency with a payment collection historyassociated with the physical location and the tag identificationinformation.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: receiving areport indicating removal of a cash collection box containing currencyreceived at the removable meter unit, the report indicating removal of acash collection box containing currency further indicating the tagidentification information; and determining, based on the paymentcollection history associated with the tag identification information,the amount of the currency contained in the cash collection box at thetime of removal.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: inresponse to receiving the report indicative of the removal of the cashcollection box, updating the payment collection history.
 5. The methodof claim 1, further comprising: transmitting the information indicativeof the configuration information to the removable meter unit.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein the transmitted configuration informationcomprises operating parameter information indicative of at least one ofa parking rate, a geographic location, parking rules, an amount ofcurrency in a cash box and times when parking rates or rules apply. 7.The method of claim 5, further comprising: resetting the paymentcollection history in response to receiving the report indicative of theremoval of the cash collection box.
 8. The method of claim 1, whereinthe configuration information comprises a payment collection historyrelated to a prior removable meter unit that was mated with the locationhousing at the physical location.
 9. The method of claim 1, whereinupdating the configuration information comprises associating the one ormore operating parameters with the removable meter unit.